Several vendors have previously designed and deployed computerized mine production systems. Such vendors include Modular Mining Systems, Caterpillar, Wenco, and Tritronics. Although some of these systems have similar goals to present invention, the architecture of previously deployed systems were significantly different. Initially, these systems were developed using computers and wireless networking technologies available in the early 1980s. At this time, portable microprocessors were limited to approximately 8K to 32K of available RAM memory, 8K to 32K of ROM memory and had processing speeds of approximately 1 MHz. Wireless network technology at this time utilized narrow band UHF or VHF communications which limited the peak data rate to approximately 1200 to 9600 bits/second. Today, inexpensive mobile microprocessors easily provide hundreds of megabytes of RAM, gigabytes of flash storage, and operate at speeds of 1 GHz and higher. Similarly, wireless network technology has evolved to provide 11 to 54 megabits/second peak data transfer speeds. In summary, both microprocessor speeds and network bandwidth provide at least 1000 times more capacity than the technologies used in the design of the earlier mining systems.
The limited capability of computer technology used in the design of the earlier mining systems dictated a design in which most of the processing was performed by a single central computer. Mobile devices were simple interfaces which mostly transmitted button pushes and displayed text messages or very simple graphical interfaces. Existing prior art systems have a single centralized database, centralized control logic, and typically provide minimal data access capabilities for mobile equipment. Because mobile equipment cannot directly access the database, the mobile software typically communicates with the centralized business logic using short messages called RPCs (remote procedure calls).
Because existing mine control systems place all data and algorithms on the central computer, these systems must provide network availability close to 100% throughout the entire production area. Although this was possible with narrow-band UHF and VHF technologies, new wireless networking technologies such as 802.11 often have shadow areas in which the network coverage is unavailable. With a centralized system design, mobile users cannot operate in areas where network coverage is unavailable. Coverage and communications issues often plague such installations since the system design cannot operate when the computer network is unavailable. Additionally, modem technologies for equipment monitoring such as video cameras, radars, or high-precision GPS require logic on-board the equipment. Integration of such devices into a system with only centralized control of equipment is impractical because of wireless bandwidth constraints.
Several vendors have designed and deployed mine production systems which monitor and control trucks in a mining operation. Many of these systems also perform automatic assignment and/or allocation of trucks to loading equipment. Current systems base their allocation strategy on either predetermined assignments stored in a central database, or a mathematical model, which determines optimal flow rates for trucks on each production path. Such allocation strategy models are fairly rigid, expecting all equipment to perform identically, while bearing identical loads and moving lockstep. Although such allocation strategies can perform well in theory, real life operation is less than ideal.
Thus, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.